Because of the popularity of basketball, particularly in the United States, many people play the sport and devote considerable time to the development of their basketball skills. Millions of basketball goals have been mounted on barns, telephone poles, garages, and the like so basketball enthusiasts can conveniently enjoy a game of basketball or the solitude of shooting a few baskets. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of basketball poles installed at homesites next to a driveway or the street, to which a backboard and a goal are attached. Additionally, portable basketball standards are now becoming commercially available for those basketball enthusiasts who do not have sufficient space to have a basketball standard installed, or who are not permitted to permanently install a basketball standard where they live. As soon as the backboard and goal or the portable basketball standard are in place, a game of basketball soon ensues.
If there is not enough players to play a game of basketball, a free throw or 3-point shooting contest or any of a number of games derivative from basketball such as "HORSE" or "Around the World" may be played. When a game of basketball is played at a home installed basketball standard, whether indoor or outdoor, there are usually a couple of aspects of the game which differ from and actual regulation game. Usually, a friendly game of basketball at a school yard, on a driveway, or in the street will not have officials to regulate play, nor will there be a scoreboard. Unfortunately, due to the lack of these two elements, arguments or disputes over the score, who gets possession of the ball first, and how long to play have disrupted many a friendly game. Players in a friendly neighborhood game have usually circumvented the need for officials by calling their own fouls and infractions, but heretofore, there has not been any true substitute for a scoreboard other than the players mentally keeping track of the score and/or calling out the score after each basket. Most scoreboards available are intended for institutional use rather than home use. Such scoreboards are large, heavy, complex, and expensive, and not a viable option for the basketball enthusiast who would like to have scoreboard capability at home. Of course, flip card scoreboards have been used, but unless a person other than the players is available to flip the cards to the appropriate score after each basket is made, the game is interrupted while one of the players moves the flip cards to the correct score. Hence, the flip card scoreboards are rather for the convenience and enjoyment of spectators, if any, than the players.
Being unable to keep score automatically has been a source of frustration during friendly neighborhood play. Also, some of the features of a college or professional game can not be simulated for home or school yard play. For example, most friendly neighborhood games do not enjoy the use of a shot clock or a time clock with a final buzzer. To provide visual display and audio signals could also enhance the basketball enthusiast's enjoyment during home or school yard play.
It would be an advance in the art if a device were provided that could keep score and otherwise regulate aspects of the game of basketball for the basketball enthusiast playing the game at his own home or a local school yard. It would be a further advance if the device were portable, could be programmed to regulate play during other basketball derivative games, and utilized means that would automatically register baskets made.